by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - Don't look for the solemn proceedings of the U.S. Supreme Court to appear on television any time soon.

Two justices reasserted their opposition Thursday, with Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy suggesting that television would introduce an "insidious dynamic" to the court's public activities.

"My position is that we are a teaching institution," Kennedy told a House subcommittee. "We teach by not having television there. We teach by what we write."

Associate Justice Stephen Breyer said he was simply "not ready yet.''

"This is a very conservative institution,'' Breyer said. "We are there as trustees. The last thing any of us wants to do is to make it worse.''

The justices' comments on the recurring debate over admitting cameras to the nation's highest court came during a hearing on the court's 2014 budget request of $74.8 million and the possible impact of forced federal budget cuts on the court's operations.

The court's new budget proposal represents a 3% reduction from 2013.

Kennedy told the House Appropriations subcommittee that the cuts would be "unsustainable'' over the long term and could force a decision to scale back a docket in which nearly 9,000 petitions are filed for review each year.

"If you force that choice,'' Kennedy said, "you are saying that the courts are not open.''

For the broader federal court system, Kennedy and Breyer said the cuts would threaten the already-limited resources available to fund the public defender service for the indigent.

Breyer said the maintenance of the public defense system was "absolutely crucial.''

"At some point,'' Kennedy said, "we start discussing dismissing criminal prosecutions. This is dangerous to the rule of law.''